Twenty-two year old Gabriel Richardson, a senior from New Orleans, died last Tuesday, May 6.

Richardson was a marketing/finance major and a member of Sigma Chi fraternity.

In a letter to the DU Community, Dr. Patricia Helton, associate provost for campus life, stated he “collapsed.”

According to Richardson’s best friend and fraternity brother Clay Shackleton, Richardson was diagnosed with an extreme case of spinal meningitis after his senior year of high school, before he came to Denver. Spinal meningitis is an infection that causes inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.

“He was given his last rites as well as four hours to live by his doctors, [but] he survived,” said senior Shackleton. “After this experience it was like every day of his life was a blessing.”

Richardson was a gifted athlete who played football in high school, boxed at the Brotherhood Police Boxing Gym, often ran in Washington Park with his dog Tater and enjoyed cooking, painting and pottery making, Shackleton said.

Shackleton said Richardson lived by the quote, “Keep on keepin’ on.”

“He was a loyal friend that would do anything in his power for you, and friends like him don’t come along too often in life,” Shackleton said.

Junior Sam Smith, Sigma Chi president, said, “Gabe was one of the most remarkable people I have ever met,” and his strength in fighting back from his medical illness is “a testament to the way he lived.”

“He always told people that because of his experiences, he valued every moment he had on this earth. He knew that you only get one shot at life, and it was his mission to make the most of it,” Smith said.

Freshman Baxter Cochennet, another Sigma Chi brother, said that although he did not get to know Richardson as well as he would’ve liked, the fact that he did know him was a “privilege that I will always cherish.”

“I remember thinking one day how happy I was to be his brother, even though I hardly knew him… he had that effect on people,” Cochennet said.

A memorial service for Richardson was held at University Park United Methodist Church on May 8.